In February of 1968, I had a sudden hearing loss in my right ear. I was 19. Back then there were no hearing aids that could help me and my doctor advised me to just learn to adjust to the hearing loss.

I come from a devout Irish Catholic family. When my hearing loss happened, I searched for a saint to pray to for help in dealing with my handicap. I started praying to Saint Katherine Drexel, the second native born American to become a saint. The church requires two proven miracles in order for a saint to be canonized. Both of St Katherine Drexel’s miracles had to do with hearing being restored.

On June 15, 2012, I woke up with no hearing in my left ear. This time I was treated with cortisone injections and there has been about a 20% improvement per month in my ability to understand. That went from zero in June to about 60% in October. I will be tested again in January and my doctor expects more improvement.

My doctor, Dr. Lippy of The Lippy Group Hearing Aid Center, wanted to allow my hearing to improve naturally before I started using hearing aids. I had an appointment on October 3 and he gave his approval to try a hearing aid in my right ear. My hearing aid appointment was on October 5. The staff had attended training for the ReSound Verso the day before. So they were excited about the hearing aid’s ability to help me. My Verso was ordered and I received it on October 19. It performed unbelievably well as soon as I put it in my ear. There is no feedback, I can use it on the telephone, and the waterproofing gives me peace of mind.

I walked outside into a beautiful autumn day and could hear the fallen leaves crunching under my feet, the birds singing, the wind blowing through the treetops. I started my car and could hear the noise of the heater turning on. I spent the afternoon with my dearest friend, with my brother and with his wife and I could enjoy a conversation again. I went to Walmart and could hear the noises of people talking and the announcements over the loud speakers. When I went to my job at a call center, I was afraid that the hearing aid would not work with headsets on. I had no problems at all. Between calls, I was able to sit and talk with other people. Since June, I had struggled to hear on the phone and could not easily interact with others.

I believe that God has granted me a miracle. I believe that miracles are given in the form of being directed to the right doctors, the right techniques, and the right instruments for the person needing help. I did not ask for a lightning bolt from the sky and instant healing, but I did ask for God’s help in guiding me to the right people and tools to help me. If I had been approved for a hearing aid even a few days earlier, the staff at Dr Lippy’s office would not have had the Verso available.